Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is April 29

April 13, 2017

The proper disposal of unused prescription and over-the-counter medications can prevent accidental poisoning, overdose and abuse. That’s why the Prince William County Police Department works with other local and federal partners to hold events in the spring and fall where they collect unused medications. This is part of a nationwide initiative called Take-Back Days.

The next Take-Back day is April 29 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and drop off points will be at the following locations:

Prince William Police Sgt. Ben Grantham said people shouldn’t ignore the potential danger of having unused medications laying around. The majority of people abusing prescription drugs get them from family, friends and the home medicine cabinet. “You want to get that out of your home so that it’s not abused by a child or another member of the household.”

Grantham also said the drugs could threaten drinking water, if they’re not disposed of properly. “The problems exist when they get flushed into the water system and they get into our water supply. Small amounts of the medications start to show up in our drinking water, and it becomes a problem. They need to be turned over and disposed of in a proper way.”

Prince William Police Officer Marcia Whaley said that they hope people will take advantage of the opportunity to get rid of unwanted medications. “Everyone is eligible to drop off their unused prescription medications.”

“We encourage everybody to reach out to friends and family and let them know what we’re doing,” Grantham said. “The more that we can spread the word, the more we can get into these communities and get rid of these excess medications that may be causing problems.”

After collecting the unwanted medications, the police turn the drugs over the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, or DEA, for proper handling, Whaley said. “We take the medications … to the DEA, and they then take the bags from us. The drugs are then driven to where they’re incinerated.”

For more information about the prescription drug take-back days, visit www.pwcgov.org/police or call the Crime Prevention Unit at 703-792-7270.